Board settles on school names

After nearly two months of deliberation, the Cape Girardeau school board took only 10 minutes finally to settle on names for the new fifth- and sixth-grade and seventh- and eighth-grade schools opening this fall.

They chose Central Middle School and Central Junior High School. Board members decided against giving the entire campus a separate name because they thought it would only create confusion.

The board had agreed, but not voted, on the junior high name at the January board meeting, so the only decision left Monday night was whether the fifth- and sixth-grade school should be called a middle school or an intermediate school.

Martha Zlokovich said middle typically refers to schools that house grades six through eight. Other board members disagreed.

"The term middle school is being redefined every day," Sharon Mueller said. "Central Middle School rolls off the tongue easier than Central Intermediate School, and it fits better on T-shirts."

Mueller added some people in an ad hoc naming committee were concerned the name intermediate might sound too much like the word remedial.

Bumpy road

The road to naming the buildings has been a bumpy one. It started in December when an ad hoc committee of 12 community members met to discuss possibilities.

They generated a list of 41 names, but in the end two names for the middle school, two for the entire campus and one for the junior high were presented to the school board at its Jan. 28 meeting.

Since the board could not agree on anything except Central Junior High School, they decided to send two representatives to meet with the original ad hoc committee for further discussion.

Mueller and Steve Trautwein met with that committee Feb. 14.

When the board reconvened Monday night, Mueller and Trautwein explained the reasons behind the ad hoc committee's decision.

Trautwein said that before the Feb. 14 meeting he felt the decision to not place the name of an individual on the buildings was done to avoid controversy, but after talking with the ad hoc members he felt different.

"I was very impressed with the kinds of reasoning they had for the names they offered," he told the board Monday. "They wanted a name that was more timeless."

Mueller said she was convinced the schools didn't have to carry the name of a community member after ad hoc member Barbara Blanchard spoke. Blanchard's name was chosen for an elementary school in 1999.

"We were very fortunate that Barbara Blanchard was there," she said. "She expressed that students probably won't recognize her name in 20 years. So why put a person's name on it at all?"

Mueller said even though the schools wouldn't carry individuals' names, community members who have made contributions to the field of education can be recognized throughout the schools.

"There are always opportunities for individuals or groups to make cash donations to have a name go on an auditorium or a classroom," she said.

The next step

Mark Bowles said now that the schools have names, the next step is moving the contents of the schools from one building to the next.

"We are on the threshold of the physical move," he said. "We've got everybody assigned to schools and even have some room assignments made."

Bowles said teachers in each of the schools are busy deciding what supplies and materials they are going to take with them to the new buildings and what ones they are going to leave behind.

He said the big move will come this summer.

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128